Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
by galaxian gal
Summary: Her birthdays always do end with shattered glasses, flipped tables, broken relationships and the rare event of Azula crying. — Azula x Ty Lee. Oneshot (for now).
**Horseshoes and Hand Grenades**

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 _"_ _The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance."  
-Brian Tracy-_

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Azula does not let anyone know that she is crying.

It is silent; the tears roll down her cheeks and leave a small damp spot on the silk sheets that will fade quickly. All will be forgotten, as usual. That is what rushes through her mind after the nightmare that was today.

The day her father forgot her birthday. She wonders if he regrets it, since it was the last one they could spend together. Their world crumbled before he could give her another.

 _"Why do you have such a_ thing _about birthdays?"_

Everyone has something petty that they feel oddly passionate about. Azula's is her birthday, because she would appreciate some appreciation of her importance in the lives of others. Apparently she means nothing to those who ruined today, as usual.

Ty Lee made it about _herself_ , of course, because she is selfish and awful and Azula is going to break off their engagement tomorrow after the fiasco that was lunch and the complete neglect of sun traditions in favor of what _Ty Lee_ likes.

Zuko touched her with her explicit permission. He also pretended to care so feebly that Azula felt the repercussions of murdering him would be worth it. What is worse is the fact that he tried to serve her the _sole_ tea to which she is allergic.

Her mother sent her a pathetic letter. Her father most likely cares about as much as he always does.

No one even bothered with the gifts. There were not nearly enough of them, and half of them were almost _insults_.

Her birthdays always do end with shattered glasses, flipped tables, broken relationships and the rare event of Azula crying.

Maybe she should just erase them from time. People do seem to like removing her from history.

Someone knocks on the door and Azula quickly collects herself. She could pass for having taken a nap; no one would assume she was even _capable_ of crying – or so she hoped. They all actually knew, but also knew they should not tell her.

"What?" Azula snaps.

"I have something for you," Ty Lee says sweetly, as if she is not a monster. "I feel really bad that things went so bad today. They always suck for you and I just want you to be happy."

Azula stands up and opens the door. "You just want people to think you are a sweet, perfect doll who sacrifices everything for the happiness of her wicked, twisted ex-girlfriend."

"Ex? Are you actually – okay, never mind, okay – I do kind of want you to be happy. That's like really important to me. I totally ruined today because I treated you like I would want to be treated and that was stupid and I didn't know about how much of a thing you had about birthdays because you always had such fun parties when we were kids and I thought you were happy about them like the one when we had our first kiss and—" Ty Lee has to stop in order to gasp.

It is kind of sweet that Ty Lee would suffocate for Azula.

That's romantic.

"I don't understand," Azula coldly says with a disdainful glint in her gilded eyes.

Ty Lee candidly explains, "Your happiness makes me happy. Not other people. You're pretty much the only person I don't just pretend to like half the time."

Azula tries to avert her eyes. "I like you too, when you are not destroying the day on which I should be worshipped."

"That seems to be every day for you." Ty Lee shakes her head and stops Azula from slamming the door. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry I crushed you and I love you. Do you like like me?"

"No." Azula sighs and rolls her eyes. "Yes. I occasionally… _like like_ you."

"Well, I hope this is one of those occasions. Come on and see."

Azula follows. She has to admit she is interested.

What she sees is not perfect. It is not all she imagined. The sun cakes are hideous and the candles are poorly arranged on the table. Her gifts are mostly petty jewelry and one or two items she asked for. The cards are the only thing that she does not find distasteful.

Her expression is blank until she opens up one.

Azula scoffs and cocks an eyebrow. "It's so ugly. Did you draw this?"

Ty Lee turns her palms up and tries to smile it away. "You like dragons. It's ugly 'cause I've never seen a dragon. And I really always wanted to see a dragon."

"You've seen me," Azula purrs and Zuko sticks his tongue out in disgust behind her.

Ty Lee smiles faintly. "That is true. You are way prettier than a dragon. And most people would rather anger a dragon than you."

Zuko interrupts the beautiful moment, of course, since he is the master destroyer of birthdays behind Ozai. "Do you like it?"

Azula doesn't. She truly does not like any of this, and this would be the point that she flips the table and calls them all selfish beasts.

"Yes. I do like it." She looks at the hopefully grinning girl across from her. "You are no longer my ex-girlfriend."

"I didn't even know I was that, but good!"

Azula smirks.

Ty Lee knows she is lying about this second birthday and it is the sweetest victory of all time.


End file.
